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Flashcards in Lesson 2 - Non-Christian Ethics Deck (3)
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1
Q

Summarize the central ideas of “Deontological”, “Teleological”, and “Existential” traditions in the history of ethics. Give one historical example of each tradition

A
  1. ) Deontological - objective duties, normative perspective, universal & objective
    - - Historical Example: Plato (abstract universals like justice, the good); Immanuel Kant (categorical imperative)
  2. ) Teleolgoical - objective ends/goals (consequences, virtues), situational perspective, particular and objective
    - - Utilitarianism
    - - Aristotle - highest good is determined by telos, virtue ethics
  3. ) Existential - subjective factors (character/emotions), existential perspective, subjective
    - - Karl Marx - cultural relativism
    - - Existentialism - create subjective meaning is meaningless world
2
Q

Define “utilitarianism.” Summarize the problems with secular utilitarian ethics.

A

Utilitarianism - our highest good is the greatest pleasure for the greatest amount of people

Problems:

  1. ) not true that everyone pursues pleasure
  2. ) Why is the pursuit of pleasure a good thing?
  3. ) Why does corporate pleasure trump individual pleasure?
  4. ) why does human pleasure trump non-human pleasure?
  5. ) We intuitively reject that the ends justify the means
  6. ) How is it possible for humans to measure overall utiltiy
3
Q

According to Murray, why can we not simply survey the sum total of the behavior of believers as portrayed in the Bible?

A
    • The study of biblical ethics is not that of surverying empirically the sum-total of the behaviors of Christians because of their sin and inconsistency, we could not by any such empirical method delineate the biblical ethic.
    • The biblical ethic is that manner of life which is consonant with, and demanded by, biblical revelation.
    • Our attention must be focused upon divine demand, not upon human achievement, upon the revelation of God’s will for man, not upon human behavior.
    • In the biblical ethic we are concerned with the norms, or standards of behavior, which are in the Bible for the creation, direction, and regulation of though, life, and behavior.